My 81 XJ650 build

Hey Guys,

I am finally getting started on doing some real work to my bike. I have been reading threads for ever and am finally gonna start this build season. Im gonna start with putting a solo seat on, change out the fender and a few other things. However, i am having a hell of a time trying to find pics of what people did for seat pans and where/how they mounted the seat brackets. I am currently looking at a biltwell solo seat, but i was wondering, how did people cover up the bolt to remove the gas tank or are they just cleaning it up and leaving it exposed? same with what people have done with the fuse box. Thanks guys, I will post some pics when I get the chance.

 

I got a longer bolt and used the rear tank mount kajigger for the forward seat mount. So from top to bottom it goes: bolt head>Front seat hingy thingie>tank mount tab>rubber bushing jobber>frame/tank mount nubbit.

For the seat springs, I mounted them to a new frame x-member I welded in when I lowered/chopped my frame.

Provided that you're equipped for light fabrication, I'd just order the seat, hold it where you want it, and come up with a mounting solution. It's not a very technical er, engineer-y approach, but it works for me.

 

awesome, thanks. everybody else out there, how did you guys do it? I know there is lots of bobbers out there so any suggestions guys?

 

This may be a dumb question, but is there a NEED for that piece in the middle of the brake lines between resv. and caliper? or can you run a straight line from resv. to caliper?

 

Nope, you can go straight to the caliper with an appropriate length braided hose if you want, making sure it's routed well. I don't even know why they have this on single disc models (twin discs have a splitter here instead of an "L") it's just one more place for an airlock to hide IMO, perhaps it was something to do with maximum length of rubber brake lines & they had to split them into two?

 

If I could thumbs up a question and and answer I would. Thanks for asking cg82 and thanks for answering 750E-II! Now I know I can ditch that L splitter and clean up that clutter under the headlight.

 

I got my front brakes all apart the other night, waiting for some rebuild parts. I think I want to paint my caliper. just a fresh coat of black but does anybody have any suggestions as to the best way to go about this? stripping old paint and such, i am still trying to figure out what to do for my seat.

 

has anybody had any luck using aftermarket pistons off ebay for front brake?

 

ok here some pics pics:

First before i put my new handlebars on


With the new bars


Inside of cylinder


cleaned up a tiny bit


I have got it quite a bit more cleaned up now, will get some more pics tomorrow

 

have a link to those pistons on ebay?
i think the originals are steel is the chrome resists rust and it makes then really smooth to slide on that seal.
aluminum is going to corrode faster and it's kind of easy to nick

 

The ones I had found were actually SS but I am gonna stick with the originals, not as bad as i had feared.

 

Be sure to get all of the crud cleaned out of the groove that the seal sits in. The slightest bit and the seal won't seat properly causing the piston to hang up on it.

 

Here are some shots of the piston. There is a bit of pitting i guess but it is above the where the seal would sit on it.

 

Be sure to thoroughly degrease before repainting brake parts. For car brakes, I've used engine primer and enamel will great results.

 

Corrupt - Thx for the tip

what do you guys think of the piston? think its ok to use or should I buy a new one.

 

and for you guys who have painted your forks, any tips? what type of paint should I use? Was thinking of taking it to an autobody shop and getting auto paint put on so it stands up better to road conditions?

 

I cleaned them real good, then used 400 grit sandpaper on them. Cleaned again, then painted with spray can engine enamel(tough paint), wet sand with 800 grit, spray can clear engine enamel.
You need to use the engine enamel to stand up to brake fluid,fork oil,bugs,pebbles and road debris.
Doesn't matter if you do it or a professional does it, it will need to be touched up from time to time.

 

Here are the pics of the caliper back from sandblasting, pretty happy.




After doing this, I decided today to get into powdercoating, so I ordered a gun and a kit to start. Also very convienient as I am helping replace a stove this weekend so I can have the old one. Its gonna be sweet!!

 

powder coating has started. just messing around to learn distance and what not. its pretty awesome, so much better than spray bomb

 

so I have started to put my brake stuff back together, slowly. Just waiting for a color to come in and then gonna coat some parts but in the mean time, putting my MC back together. I bought the kit from Len, and now im trying to put the rubber back over and it sure doesnt look like its meant to fit. can you guys confirm that it is supposed to go where the ring was on the old one?


Also, I am trying to put the spring back into the cylinder and the rubber cap doesnt wanna go in, I can use some brake fluid to lube the stuff up right? or will it damage the other rubber if it gets on it?

 

Wow... those calipers look great. That's also cool that you have the oven to use. Let us no how it goes. What type of powder coating gun did you get??

 

I got an eastwood off of ebay. was about $180 for the starter kit, its pretty awesome. much better than spray cans

 

it should be ok, as long as those rust spots are "innies" not "outies"
if they riase up they could damage the seals..


they do look better then mine, i'm still running mine, no problems.

 

Hey guys, finally got all my powder in and did my caliper this last weekend. really happy with out it turned out. pics dont do it justice.

 

Can we get a picture?

You can make a seat pan from a street sign. Lots of info out there on how to do it.

Edit: just realized this post may be old and you have a seat already. Caliper turned out nice. I may PM you about the powder coating kit you bought. I want one also.

 

Nearly two months. Any updates on this?

 

there hasnt been a whole ton of progress as I am a man of a million projects and been working on some other stuff. I have however decided to scrap the bobber thing and go for a more of a resto look. My bike is in pretty good shape so it would be a shame to cut and chop it. I will definatly still be working on some stuff for this thread tho.

 

do any of you guys have experience mounting these up to your stock exhaust? what do u think

http://www.mikesxs.net/product/07-0778.html
http://www.jcwhitney.com/helix-racing-2 ... d58162u0j1

 

HELP! ok I am looking for the rubber boot that covers the piston on the M/C assembly? long story but basically Chacal isnt an option as I am tryin to return a whole rebuild kit but i do need the rubber piece. anybody got one lying around?

 

I may... let me check tonight and verify that we're talking about the same part. I switched to the aftermarket MC that works better with drag bars, so I don't think I need that rubber piece.

 

Are you talking about this part?


Or one of these?

 

i am talking about the rubber boot on the right side of the bottom picture, thx

 

Unless mine is completely deteriorated, I'm pretty sure it's all yours. I'll bust it open sometime this weekend. PM me with your address, and I'll take a rain-check on you buying me a beer next time I'm in town.

 

If I were to do anything, it would be a reverse cone muffler. But your tastes may be different than mine.

 

OK! so, finally the snow is gone, and after seeing all the bikes riding around the last week or 2, i finally got fired up to put my bike back together. rebuilt back brakes and front. remounted wheels and freshly powdercoated caliper. now, i filled the brake lines with fluid, did the clear tube into the jar, watching the air bubbles. After I could see no more air bubbles, tightened bleeder screw and topped up resv. and put cap on. However, it feels to me that the brakes arnt as hard to engage as I was thinking new brakes would. Anybody else had this issue? Is it normal? I usually use 2 fingers on the lever and when I squeeze the lever hits my knuckles if I squeeze hard enough. You guys get that? The bike stops good just takes a bit more lever action that I was thinking it would.

 

Just need to bleed more air out of the lines. You can get the lever to any firmness you're looking for, for the most part.

 

Did you put that new MC piston in the way you have it shown in this picture?
The seal is in the wrong place. That top piston does not look at all like the one that came in the XJ master cylinder. Are you sure a PO didn't put a MC from a different bike on your 650? Are you using new brake lines?

 

I am pretty sure a PO did change out the MC as when I ordered a rebuild kit from chacal it was too big for the one I have. I did not use the bottom piston in the picture, that was the new one that did not fit. Yes they are new brake lines.

 

Bled the brakes again and no air came out. I ended up adjusting the screw in the lever and that worked like a charm. Makes me thing that maybe that was one of my problems last year haha. Brakes working good now. woo. The back brake needed quite a bit of adjusting with the new shoe i put in. had to adjust the nut on the arm. I can now stop when i need to. excellent day.

 

Braking Question:

So during my brake rebuild I discovered that apparently my M/C has been swapped at some point. The OD of my m/c piston is 12.64mm where as the stock one is 13.95mm. Suggestions? I had to adjust the screw on the brake lever to get a decent feel on the brakes. Should I replace the whole m/c?

 

Hydraulic systems work as a system. Going undersized on the MC will reduce the amount of force that will be applied at the brake pads. Get the correct sized MC, or the correct sized calipers. By going undersized the PO took an adequate system and made it barely adequate. Barely adequate will not do in modern-day traffic.

 

do you guys know if a 1982 mc/caliper will be a good swap for my 81 650? do the bolt holes match up on the caliper or woud the m/c work with my current caliper? does anybody know the m/c piston diameter for the 82? thanks guys

 

manual says g, h, lh and j all have the same m/c and caliper. hope this helps.

 

Did some work today and thought I would share. Powdercoating!

 

nice looking stuff, are you sandblasting them before coating? I am about to do the same with a bunch of parts.

FU

 

yeah I am.

 

hey guys, ok im having an issue. my turn signal indicator light isn't working. brand new gauge. i changed my front lights to LED's, bought about 5 relays until I found one that would work. The actual signals work but I can't get the indicator to work. any suggestions? Could it be that there just isnt enough draw to light the indicator because of the LED's even though the signals themselves work?

 

you need to do this...

http://xjbikes.com/forums/index.php...s-and-still-have-everything-work.14068/page-2

FU

 

ok, so your saying i need a relay and the stock flasher unit even though I have an electronic relay and my LED signals currently work? can somebody please expain how my LED signals could work but the indicator doesn't? I can't wrap my head around it.

 

my bad, I misread your original question. you are saying the indicator in the instrument cluster isn't working? did you check the bulb? did you check with a voltmeter for power to the indicator light? did you check with an ohm meter for proper ground to the indicator light?

FU